Personal Training in QLD

Personal Training in New Zealand

The Sugar Conspiracy*

Thursday, 23 June 2016, By Kassandra Mowll

There are so many different theories on nutrition in this day
and age, so many different diets and opinions and it becomes hard
to recognise what is fact, and what is not. So we've put all these
theories aside that we know are myth, and have focused on one
common aspect of our diets, SUGAR!

Due to its effects on hormones and the brain, sugar has unique
fat promoting effects

Because it causes massive dopamine release in the brain, sugar
is highly addictive

Sugar is a leading contributor to obesity in both children and
adults

Forget the fat… its SUGAR that raises your cholesterol and
gives you heart disease

Sugar makes you fat

However, the most shocking truth about sugar is actually how
much you're eating. The recommended sugar intake for adults,
according to the World Health Organisation, is 25 grams, or 6
teaspoons a day. When put into perspective, 6 teaspoons as an
average is a lot of sugar. But when you break it down and really
look at the foods your consuming, Australia, as a whole, averaged
eating 27 teaspoons of sugar a day!

Sugar seems like an obvious link to obesity and a simple
ingredient to avoid, and some of you must be sitting there thinking
you watch what you eat, you don't eat the standard sugary foods,
and this 27-teaspoon average couldn't possibly be you.
Unfortunately, you've been mislead by the food industry, and sugar,
believe it or not, is in most foods that are categorised
'Healthy'.

When reading food labels, I tend to ignore the nutrition table
that lists the amount of carbs, fats and proteins that are in the
food, and instead, look at the ingredients list. Most of the time,
packaged foods first or second ingredient on the list is some sort
of added sugar. I have this big theory where I don't eat anything
that has ingredients in the list I don't understand, because I've
come to realise those long worded ingredients we don't know are the
company's way of disguising sugar as their main ingredient.
Majority of 'health' foods such as muesli bars and yoghurts are
full of long worded sugar ingredients.

Sugar is also extremely addictive. How many people tell
themselves they'll just have one bite of cake, or one row from the
block of chocolate, and then before you know it you've eaten it
all? And what about 'health foods', how many of you have intended
to eat one bowl of muesli for breakfast, and eat about 3 bowls? I
know I have! That's because sugar is addictive. It provides you
with instant energy before you have a sugar crash left feeling
worse then you did before, and leaving you wanting more. Sounds a
lot like a drug doesn't it?

Finally, it's a waste of macros and calories. Sugar is
considered a carbohydrate. Personally, I'd much rather get my daily
carb intake from nutrient rich carb sources such as brown rice,
bananas, quinoa, berries etc. rather than sugar which has no
minerals and vitamins. Seems like such a waste.

My advice? I believe you should eat as many whole, unprocessed
foods as you can. Focus on getting your sugar intake from the good
sugars you find in whole fruits and eat more vegetables, whole
grains and natural proteins to keep you fuller for longer. The more
you fuel your body with good whole foods, the less you'll feel the
need to indulge on sugar-refined 'junk' foods.